Japan Will Encourage Coal Use In Eastern Europe

Thanks to anti-fracking activities in Europe by environmentalists, the only plentiful fuel available cheap enough to use against Putin’s control is Coal.

“The government plans to support Ukraine and other Eastern European nations in the construction of next-generation coal-fired power plants that can generate power with less fuel, according to informed sources.

Under the initiative, Japan would stand behind the nations’ efforts to use coal—abundant in Eastern Europe—instead of natural gas, the supply of which makes them dependent on Russia. The government is expected to announce the initiative at the meeting of energy ministers from Japan and other Group of Seven industrialized nations to be held in Rome from May 5.

Japan’s support will involve the construction of coal-fired power plants using technologies known as supercritical steam pressure and ultra supercritical pressure to spin the turbines, enabling these nations to obtain electricity while using less fuel and emitting less carbon dioxide.”

http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0001241034

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Other Than Germany … COAL!

Poland is suggesting that coal make a big comeback in the European Union in order to thwart Putin’s use of Natural Gas as a weapon.

“Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk says the country’s giant coal fields should become a cornerstone in Europe’s defense against a newly aggressive Russia.”

(Too bad the EU has fought against fracking to the point of insanity)

But the sentence that jumped out at me is

Poland burns over 50 million tons of coal a year, more than any European nation other than Germany, “

Wait! I thought Germany was the poster boy for green energy!

Yes indeed. BP Statistical Review of World Energy says Germany burned more coal than any other European nation and it burned 3.9% more coal in 2012 than it did in 2011.

Why? The shutdown of some of its nuclear power plants.

Country 2012 Change
Austria 2.0 -23.8%
Azerbaijan ^ 3.8%
Belarus ^ 1.2%
Belgium 3.0 -9.5%
Bulgaria 7.0 -13.4%
Czech Republic 16.6 -7.8%
Denmark 2.5 -23.4%
Finland 2.9 -15.1%
France 11.4 20.1%
Germany 79.2 3.9%
Greece 7.5 -0.5%
Hungary 3.0 -1.9%
Republic of Ireland 1.5 16.9%
Italy 16.2 0.3%
Kazakhstan 35.0 2.6%
Lithuania 0.2 -5.5%
Netherlands 8.5 8.2%
Norway 0.7 -0.5%
Poland 54.0 -4.0%
Portugal 2.9 31.4%
Romania 6.7 -9.5%
Slovakia 3.2 -3.5%
Spain 19.3 24.2%
Sweden 1.5 -25.7%
Switzerland 0.1 6.5%
Turkey 31.3 -5.6%
Turkmenistan
Ukraine 44.6 6.9%
United Kingdom 39.1 24.0%
Uzbekistan 1.2 -0.3%
Other Europe & Eurasia 22.2 -1.7%

 

 

Andy Revkin and the NY Times Surprised the Heck Out of Me on Natural Gas

I’ve taken enough potshots at Andy Revkin. It’s only fair I give him credit when looks deeper past the alarmism for more information.

He takes a good look at claims that natural gas drilling is responsible for huge methane leaks and finds that the methane most likely came from coal mines in the area.

It is worth a read.

Putin: Helping Coal Make a Comeback in the Ukraine

It is too bad the EU has worked so hard to stop fracking in Europe. Europe might had have some spare natural gas to sell the Ukraine.

Ukraine’s Western-backed leaders scrambled on Friday to find new sources of energy after Russia hiked its gas price by 80 percent in response to the overthrow of Kiev’s pro-Kremlin regime.”

“We are now reviewing our electricity and fuel balance for 2014 with a view of using as much domestic coal as possible at the expense of natural gas,”

http://www.thegwpf.org/ukraine-shifts-to-coal-after-russian-gas-price-hike/

 

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Save The Coal – Polish PM Wants to “Rehabilitate Coal”

Europe is freaking out about Putin’s control of Europe’s energy supplies.  The Greens and the EU Central Planning Authority (same group I think) have done everything in their power to thwart attempts to explore for shale gas (fracking) in Europe.

So guess what? The Polish PM want to “rehabilitate” coal. Europe could have been burning nice clean shale gas by now. Now they want to burn even more coal. And probably trees. And books. Anything with high CO2 and anything without the word fracking in it.

“Russia, which provides around one third of the EU’s oil and gas, sent shockwaves through the international community with its military intervention and annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula two weeks ago.

The action prompted the United States and its European allies to begin imposing sanctions on President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle and to threaten to penalise key sectors of Russia’s economy.

Some 40 percent of Russia’s gas destined for Europe is shipped through Ukraine.

“The experience of the last few weeks shows that Europe must strive towards solidarity when it comes to energy,” Tusk said.

He said Poland’s proposed energy union would be based on six points including the “rehabilitation” of coal as a valid energy source, more shale gas exploration and common purchases to ensure the best price.”

http://www.thegwpf.org/polish-pm-eu-should-form-energy-union-based-on-coal-gas-to-secure-supplies/

 

 

frackOff

Go Frack Yourself, Obama Tells EU Leaders

I like the title.

European leaders on Wednesday asked Barack Obama to share the US’s shale gas bonanza with Europe by facilitating gas exports to help counter the stranglehold Russia has on the continent’s energy needs.”

“Obama, while not ruling out the possibility, stressed the need for Europe to diversify its sources of energy in order to make it less vulnerable to Russian blackmail, and said Europe should open up to fracking to develop its own gas supply.”

http://www.thegwpf.org/go-frack-yourself-obama-tell-eu-leaders/

 

Even a stopped clock is right every once in a while.

 

 

Royal Society for the Prevention of Birds.

James Delingpole has a good article on the corruption of  The National Trust and the Royal Society for the Protection Prevention of Birds.

“There’s a problem here and it’s so glaring it’s a wonder that the authors of the report were able to write this section without burying their heads in shame and wishing the earth would swallow them up as punishment for their intellectual dishonesty and positively Gorean levels of hypocrisy. The fact that they were capable of doing so speaks volumes as to just how out of touch with reality environmentalists like the ones who have taken over the RSPB hierarchy have become.

That problem – *exasperated sigh* – is this: if the RSPB is really concerned about the potential disturbance to wildlife of a few noisy lorries and drill rigs (which, let’s not forget, are only up for a short period, after which they are replaced by a silent extraction device called a Christmas tree), how come it’s so cheerfully complacent about the epic numbers of rare birds and protected bats which are sliced and diced (or, in the case of bats, barotraumatised – i.e. made to implode) by the industrial wind turbines which the RSPB not only champions but from which it benefits financially.

Yes that’s right. The RSPB – supposed guardians of Britain’s birdlife – makes hundreds of thousands of pounds in partnership with the wind industry, despite the fact that wind turbines around the world kill as many as 22 million birds every year, including rare and protected species such as America’s national bird the Bald Eagle, Whooping Cranes and Hen Harriers.

And how many birds does the fracking industry kill each year? Well, put it this way: the number is an awful lot closer to zero than it is to 22 million.”

http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-London/2014/03/15/National-Trust-And-RSPB-mislead-over-fracking